Pet food is heavy and bulky. No one enjoys lugging it home from the shops, which is perhaps why Yodel has seen pet food deliveries more than double since 2018. UK consumers are turning to online deliveries as a more convenient way to care for their pets.
The significant increase in pet ownership across the UK during the pandemic has been a key driver in the growth of pet food deliveries, with an estimated 3.2 million households taking on a new pet since lockdown began in 2020, according to the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association.
With Covid-19 restrictions coming to an end and more people going back into offices, Yodel has seen a particular surge in the number of pet food subscriptions being taken out. The business now handles more than six million pet food boxes every year.
Growth has been sharp across the UK, with the biggest rise coming from London, where pet food deliveries were up by 277% since 2018, closely followed by the West and Midlands regions, which both increased by 227%.
What this means for you, if you are a pet food seller, is that you should be considering how to best tap into this growing trend. Certain marketplaces offer subscriptions, although you can’t always guarantee that your offer will be the one used to fulfil orders. On your own website you should certainly be considering how you can offer regular pet food deliveries as once set up, consumers are unlikely to cancel as their pets will always need to be fed.
With millions of new furry friends on the scene and Covid restrictions over, people are looking for the most convenient way to give their companions the best nutrition and care. Online shopping, particularly with subscription services, gives people one less thing to worry about and means no more hauling big bags of pet food back from the shops.
Growth in the pet food sector is representative of an overall shift in consumer behaviour towards online delivery, with many now using our services for products which they may not have in the past. This shift also demonstrates our ability to deliver parcels of different shapes and sizes, across a wide range of sectors.
– Carl Moore, COO, Yodel
Yodel continues to expand its presence in the pet food industry, having added Tails, Butternut Box, Zooplus and petplanet.co.uk to its portfolio in recent years.
